I. FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to turntable playground equipment and particularly to a turntable operative to rotate in response to force applied to a portion of the apparatus by a person supported thereon.
II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Playground turntables or merry-go-rounds are among the most popular and entertaining of playground equipment. A variety of playground turntables are known in which the operator, typically a child, turns a rotatable support platform by applying a hand force to a stationary hand wheel attached to a fixed coaxial standard. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,785,896 and 3,873,087 are but two examples of such turntables. Such turntables are somewhat unsuited to use by the very young or handicapped child. To operate, the child must be able to advance hand over hand around the hand wheel. Most young children and many handicapped children lack the sufficient manual control and coordination to release and regrasp a stationary hand wheel to rotate a turntable. As a result, the very young or handicapped child is seldom able to enjoy such playground equipment. Moreover, the typical turntable of the prior art may be a safety hazard since a child lacking sufficient control and coordination to release and regrasp the hand wheel as required may lose his or her grip and fall from the turntable.
The prior art discloses roundabouts and rotary lawn swings having means of hand propulsion other than a fixed hand wheel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,132 discloses a roundabout equipped with a fixed hand wheel and in addition a lever coupled to a fixed coaxial standard by means of a ratchet device. According to the disclosure, the ratchet lever may be employed as an alternative propulsion means. U.S. Pat. No. 1,143,454 discloses a rotary lawn swing equipped with a circular hand rail which may be locked to a coaxial standard by means of a circular clutch mechanism adjacent the hand rail. According to the disclosure, a seated operator may propel the swing by pulling upon the hand rail. The hand rail is free to turn in the direction of rotation when the adjacent clutch is engaged. Thus the operator need not release the hand rail to continue rotation.
In the case of both the U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,368,132 and 1,143,454, the inventions disclosed therein are generally unsuited for operation by very young or handicapped children, and are better suited to adult amusement. For example, seats are provided which may be unacceptable to a young child, since the presence of seats permits and may even encourage the user to release his or her grasp of the hand wheel, which is undesirable from a safety standpoint. Furthermore, the engagement and advancement mechanisms such as the clutch required in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,143,454 patent or the lever included in the U.S. Pat. No. 1,368,132 patent add unnecessary and undesirable complexity to a turntable intended for use by a very young or handicapped child.
It is therefore desirable to provide a playground turntable which is simple, reasonably safe, and especially suitable for use by very young or handicapped children.